


turning a blind eye

by foreverfloor



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: (eventually) - Freeform, Daredevil Meets the Avengers, Gen, Identity Reveal, Mind Control, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Secret Identity, Stan Lee Cameo, Timeline What Timeline, everyone worries about spidey, matt Murdock meets the avengers, rated for language, tagging is hard, various povs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2019-10-14 06:16:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17503211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverfloor/pseuds/foreverfloor
Summary: Steve doesn't think to connect "Matt from the gym" and the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.  Matt knew who Steve really was within minutes of meeting him at the gym.The Avengers meet Daredevil.Plus other stuff happens.





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! This is my first work on AO3 (or any fanfic platform) so go easy on me but if you've got suggestions or comments I would love to hear them :D
> 
> If you want to read some of my other stories in my original universes or just chat with me, come over to my tumblr, my username is reimazing there too :D

Matthew Michael Murdock is far from an ordinary guy living in Hell’s Kitchen. Hell, he isn’t even normal for a blind dude. Perhaps his extremely enhanced senses and frankly ridiculous ninjalike combat skills have something to do with it.  
Of course, to the world, Matt Murdock is simply a blind man making a living defending the innocent in court. But he’s fine with that. He doesn’t need all the attention and fame that his secret ‘night job’ can bring.  
\---  
Steven Grant Rogers is well-known all around the world as Captain America, thanks to the SHIELD file dump that happened a while back. Sometimes he wishes he could have a bit of anonymity, a moment or so of peace from the endless sea of well-meaning but suffocating fans.  
So he hides. He goes to tiny restaurants late at night to avoid crowds. He avoids large crowds when he can help it.  
Early each morning Steve runs around New York, changing up his route frequently, both for the variation and to avoid a routine that paparazzi could track. One such run leads him to an area that he’s less familiar with: Hell’s Kitchen.  
Not many people are up and about yet, even though he is nearing the end of his run and should probably head back to the Tower before the city becomes too busy. Maybe he could check out that gym he sees as he runs by. Sure, it looks a little old and rough around the edges, but that’s just part of the charm. Plus, it seems like a place where only a few regulars come in, probably keeping the place in business as they do so.  
He can probably ask the owner (Fogwell? That is the name on the sign, so he assumes it is the owner’s name too) if he can come in after hours to avoid the people.  
Comforted by his plan, Steve turns around to head back to the Tower for a well-earned shower.  
\---  
Matt wakes up to the repetitive beeping of his alarm. It calls out the time when he hits the button on the top and groans, side aching. “Six o’clock am. Six o’clock am.”  
He takes a quick mental scan of his injuries from the previous night’s patrol: one bruised rib, scattered bruises across his chest and abdomen. Nothing serious.  
After his morning meditation, he begins his day as usual, grabbing his cane and glasses after getting dressed, then heads out. Stillness falls over his apartment as he steps out of the door, marred only by the click of the lock sliding back into place.

As he walks up to the office, he can hear the familiar rhythmic thumps of Foggy and Karen’s heartbeats, calm and steady. Other than that, he can’t hear much activity in the little office, so he assumes they have already gotten to work researching their most recent case.  
Matt is proven correct in his observation, and they quickly bring him up to speed on what they had discovered before falling into comfortable silence.

Foggy escorts their newest client to the door after their meeting, reassuring the elderly man who had come regarding his neighbor, who had falsely accused him of stealing her best china. “Thank you for coming to us, Mr. Lee. We will be in touch.”  
“Thank you, young man. And please, call me Stan. No need for such formalities with little old me,” Stan chuckled good-naturedly before leaving, closing the door behind him.

After a productive day at the firm with Foggy and Karen, Matt returns to his apartment and grabs his gym bag before heading out again, this time to Fogwell’s to work out until the sun leaves the sky of Hell’s Kitchen. Then Daredevil would emerge.  
The walk to the gym is brief and uneventful. The small room is empty when Matt arrives, unsurprisingly enough, so he changes out of his everyday clothes into his nondescript workout gear. But before he can begin even wrapping his hands, an unfamiliar heartbeat warns Matt of the approach and entry of another person into the gym.  
Immediately tensing, Matt analyzes the situation. He has never encountered this person before, but they are well muscled and fit, have had some sort of military training, and seem to not be breaking into the gym, judging by the key they used to enter.  
Maybe this is just another after-hours arrangement with Fogwell? I can’t be the first one, and I’m probably not the last.  
Still wary but less shocked, Matt decides to come out of the locker room to at least let the person know they are not the only person in the building. He does so right as the person flicks on the lights, giving the appearance that he had simply appeared before them.  
Smirking quietly at the slight jump in the person’s heartbeat, Matt greets the person. “Haven’t seen you around here before.” He knows his unfocused eyes are visible in the lighting of the gym and hopes this person has a sense of humor. It wouldn’t hurt to put them at ease a little with a joke, he reasons.  
There’s a slight pause before a sharp intake of breath. The person, after a brief hesitation, chuckles softly at the joke, relaxing their previously tense muscles. “I wouldn’t have thought you would have. I’m new around here. Steve.” His voice sounds vaguely familiar, though Matt can’t place it immediately.  
A movement in the air tells Matt that Steve had put out his hand for a handshake. For a brief moment, he considers playing up the ‘blind guy’ role and ignoring the proffered hand, but decides against it and instead makes a show of blindly sticking out his arm, letting Steve find it with his own. “Matt.”  
He doesn’t feel like chatting very much, and is relieved when the only response he gets is a quick “Nice to meet you, Matt.” After that, each man follows their own routine, although Matt does monitor and study Steve discreetly.  
Although the other man is obviously strong and well-muscled, it is also obvious to Matt that Steve is pulling his punches and not going all out on the bag. Strange. Steve’s heart rate has barely gone up at all even though he’s been going at that bag for almost an hour. It’s obvious he’s not actually getting a workout in.  
That’s when Matt connects the dots. Well-muscled, familiar voice, named Steve, and a crazy high endurance all adds up to the American hero Steve Rogers. Interesting.  
The city outside is now dark, and it is time for Matt to leave. He decides against revealing his knowledge of Steve’s identity until another time, instead simply calling out, “Nice to meet you, Steve. See you around,” as he leaves. He has other things to be concerned about, like the voice screaming for help about ten blocks over.  
He changes into his suit and melts into the shadows; off to help the world--or rather, more specifically, Hell’s Kitchen.


	2. chapter two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers show an interest in Daredevil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay y'all its been like a day and there are already several super sweet comments so thank you!!!! I will do my best to reply to all comments!!! Also my goal is to post a new chapter every few days (hopefully at least once a week) but I am a very good procrastinator so I have no idea how this will turn out.
> 
> FYI most of my work will be minimally edited so I apologize if there are any typos or anything like that. Feel free to comment and let me know if you find any that bother you. I am open to constructive criticism and reviews.
> 
> Have a lovely day! (or night, depending on when you read this) :D

The blind man from the gym intrigued Steve. Matt was an interesting character, but Steve chose to let the subject drop for a while. He worked out for a bit longer before calling it a night and jogging back to the Tower.  
Tony was still up and tinkering in his lab, as was expected. Most of the rest of the Tower’s occupants seemed to be asleep, though, so Steve attempted to slink back to his suite of rooms as quietly as possible to not disturb them.  
A few minutes of painstakingly light footsteps and whispered commands to FRIDAY later, Steve was back in his rooms and took a quick shower before hitting the sack.   
\---  
“You’ll never believe who I met last night,” Matt called out to the quiet office as soon as he entered the following morning.  
“Wait--let me guess...Bob Ross? That would be so cool, guy’s like my role model--” Matt cut off Foggy’s words before he really began rambling.  
“Captain America.”  
Those two words silenced Foggy immediately as he gaped in shock at Matt. A similar silence fell over Karen at her desk a few feet away, and Matt grinned. “Captain fucking America came to Fogwell’s last night and bumped into me. I was super cool about it, only making like two or three blind jokes--”  
Foggy’s cackle cut off Matt’s words. “So,” he said once he had caught his breath, “You’re telling me you met Captain fucking America and you made blind jokes? This is too good.” Matt could hear the grin in his best friend’s voice.  
“Hey, I’m surprised he only made two or three. Did His Mighty Righteousness awe you so much you forgot to make more?” Karen’s voice took on a teasing tone. “Are you feeling okay? Did he scramble your brains or something?”  
“Oh, come on guys. I’m fine. I don’t see what the problem here is,” Matt couldn’t resist saying. Matt ignored Karen’s exclamation of ‘There he is!’ and continued, “He showed up at Fogwell’s, we introduced ourselves, worked out, and then I left to go patrol. No big deal.” He shrugged.  
“Wait, do you know if he knows that you know he’s Captain America? Wow that’s more confusing than ‘he said she said they said’ kind of stuff. Fun tongue twister, though,” Foggy’s question soon derailed into pondering rambling that Matt hastened to cut off.  
“No, I think he thinks I think he’s just ‘Steve from the gym’. And I think I want to keep it that way for a while. It’ll make him more open around me and less suspicious if the blind dude can recognize him by his voice alone. I don’t want him to investigate me, so I won’t give him reason to.”  
“Fair,” Foggy and Karen conceded.   
The trio then brought their attention to their most recent case, the incident of that morning soon mostly forgotten.  
\---  
“You’re here early,” Matt commented as he walked into Fogwell’s to the sound of Steve’s fists hitting the bag. “Wanted to get a head start?”  
“How’d you know it was me?” Shit. Time to improvise.  
“I’ve been coming here after hours for years, and only very rarely have other people joined me. Balance of probability. Plus, you have a very specific rhythm of punching. If you ever fight someone, you might want to change it up a bit so you don’t become too predictable.” Matt can sense Steve’s shock at his observation and mentally kicks himself. Too much? Damnit. Maybe he’ll let it slide?  
“That’s an astute observation. Do you have much experience with that kind of thing?” Suspicion tinged Steve’s voice now, his heartbeat speeding up slightly as he spoke. Fuck fuck fuck. This is exactly what I didn’t want to do.  
“Um-- Well, not really. I spent a lot of time around boxers because my dad was one, but I haven’t fought much myself. I just come here to work out.” Matt is surprised by how confident he sounds, even with his heartbeat pounding in his ears. There, that should do it. Hopefully.  
“Okay then.” Matt can tell Steve is still slightly suspicious but is glad he’s letting it go.   
He turns back to his bag and begins wrapping his hands. For a while, the only sound in the gym is flesh smacking the tough material of the punching bags and the quick, forceful exhales as each man exerted his energy.  
Out of the blue, Steve spoke, grunting as he threw another punch, “When you’re not here beating the shit out of punching bags, what do you do?”  
The question didn’t surprise Matt, but he had wondered how Steve would react to the fact that ‘Matt from the gym’ was in reality a blind lawyer. “Usually working on cases for my clients. Or in court.” He left Steve to decipher his cryptic response.  
“So you’re a lawyer?” Steve hazarded a guess.  
Matt chuckled, “Got it in one.” He walks over to his bag, fumbling around in its contents before his fingers find what they were searching for. As Steve resumes his assault on the bag in front of him, Matt runs his fingers over the face of his watch, reading the time. By now it is almost completely dark. Time to go.  
He clears his throat. “Well, I’ve got to get going now. I assume you’ll be here again?”  
Steve pauses his punches long enough to say, “Yeah, I’m going to be here more often than not. That is, unless work calls me away again. We have a weird schedule.”   
Matt simply nods and exits the room without another word.  
\---  
When Steve returns to the Tower a little while afterward, he is greeted by the rest of the team gathered in the common room before the holographic screen, watching something out of his field of vision. Surprisingly enough, every person’s attention is focused on the video, unlike the As he enters the room from the hallway, he can see the red and black-clad figure that seems to be the point of interest common throughout the clips shown.   
“See! Right there he takes out that guy that is totally not in his range of vision, how does this guy do this shit?” Clint complains loudly to the group as the masked vigilante makes quick work of an attempted rapist duo.   
Tony adds to Clint’s comment. “What if he has x-ray vision or something? That would explain it.”  
“Or maybe he has multiple sets of eyes,” Natasha comments drily, “and he just happens to be able to see through the helmet he’s wearing.”  
“It’s not impossible…” Tony mused, ignoring the sarcasm dripping from Natasha’s voice.  
“Maybe we should just ask him,” Steve interrupts the theories being thrown around as he enters the room.  
Tony lights up. “Great idea, Capsicle! New official Avengers mission: find out who or what the hell Daredevil is!”  
Steve sighed. “That’s one way to do it, I guess.”  
Clint snickered. “Get it? What the hell is Daredevil? It’s funny because he’s the Devil.”


	3. chapter three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint meets Daredevil and calls him a freaky bastard. To be fair, he is.
> 
> Matt calls in Spider-Man to ask for a favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter for y'all! I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> How do you feel about me adding in Spidey? I've got an idea where I want to go with the story but not much actually written down yet (I'm working on it, don't worry).
> 
> I'm open to suggestions and ideas if anyone wants to see something specific.
> 
> Have a lovely day/evening!! :D

Someone was following Matt.  A steady heartbeat had been present constantly throughout his patrol.  The person-- _male, fit, light on feet, sturdy clothes, carrying...a bow?  Fuck, it’s Hawkeye_ \--was very good at his job, staying out of what would have been Matt’s line of sight had he been sighted.  However, since he had enhanced senses, he could hear and locate Barton easily.

In the middle of one of his fights, Matt noticed Barton’s heartbeat coming closer than normal.  It threw him off for a moment, and the drug dealer he had been beating up got in a lucky hit, knocking the breath from his lungs for a moment.  The next blow was delivered by Matt and the dealer went down.

Frustratedly, Matt turned his head to face where he knew Barton was perched on a nearby rooftop and called, “Why are you watching me?”

The heartbeat jumped briefly as he spoke, before the reply came, the easy tone contrasting the surprise in his heart.  “Happened to be in the area and decided to see if I could spot the infamous Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Awesome name, by the way.  I prefer Daredevil, though,” he joked. His heartbeat betrayed him, the unsteady thumping giving away his lie.

“Cut the shit.  I know you’ve been following and watching me for the past three and a half hours.  If you like your knees bending the way they are, I would recommend you tell me the truth.”  Matt decided he’d had enough, and figured there could be no harm in a little scare tactic.

It worked to an extent, Barton’s heart jumped again, this time remaining slightly faster than normal.  “Okay, dude. I’m here because I was told to watch you and help out if it ever looked like you needed a bit of backup.  Wait--before you tell me you’re fine, it wasn’t my idea. I’m just the grunt given all the dirty work.”

Matt could sense his lie and called him out on it.  “I thought I asked for the truth,” he growled.

Barton sighed very audibly before responding.  “Um--can I come closer? This isn’t exactly something I want the entirety of Hell’s Kitchen knowing about.”

Maybe it was something in his voice that gave it away, because according to his heart, Barton was telling the truth.  Still wary, however, Matt resignedly sighed and replied, “Wait there,” before slipping into where he knew would be shadows and silently climbing up to Barton.

Still keeping out of close proximity of the other man, Matt stood by him and spoke, “Now tell me why you were following me.”

Now that he was closer, he could hear the almost silent electrical whine coming from Barton.  He wondered if they were comms or hearing aids or something similar, but tabled the curiosity for another time.  

Barton sighed again before launching into his explanation.  “Okay so one of my friends is interested in finding out who you are even though I tried to tell him that we should respect your privacy and just let you do your thing so he sent me to collect as much data as I can.  I didn’t want to do this but To--my friend threatened to tell one of our other friends I ate the rest of her weird but delicious Russian dessert thing, which is the most horrible thing anyone could do because she would literally kill me if she ever found out.  So here I am, blackmailed into following you. Sorry, I guess?”

Matt blinked, nonplussed for a moment.  “What dirt do you have on Stark to make his blackmail material irrelevant?”

“Well, I could use that one time--hold up.”  Barton interrupted his own pondering thoughts and jerked to attention, instantly on edge.  “I never told you any names. Why do you think Stark is the name of my friend?”

“Lucky guess,” Matt deadpanned.  “Do you think you can manage to get yourself out of this or do I need to hold your hand every step of the way?  I’m needed elsewhere,” he adds after a pause.

“What?  Oh--uh, yeah, I got this.  You’re one freaky bastard, you know that, DD?  I’ll see you around, I guess? In case it wasn’t clear, I appreciate what you’re doing for the city.  Let me know if I can help. Uh--here.” He clears his throat awkwardly and holds out a small rectangular piece of stiff paper.   _Business card?  It has to be._  “Here’s a number you can reach me at, if you want.”

Matt takes the card and slips into a pocket without even pretending to glance at it.  “Give Stark hell for me, Barton.”

Then he was off into the shadows, silently snickering at Barton’s exclamation of “What?”

 

\---

 

“Alright, Daredevil is officially super freaky,” Clint announces as he drops from the ceiling vent into the common room, where everyone has congregated.  “He knew I was following him from the very beginning, could tell every time I lied, knew my name and some of yours, and gave off a generally weird vibe the entire time we talked.”

“I can’t wait to see the footage!”  By now, Tony couldn’t help himself and was literally jumping around like a child on a sugar high.  

Beside him, Bruce frowned.  “Footage?”

Clint was equally confused, and asked dangerously, “Tony, did you attach cameras to my suit again?”

Tony laughed nervously.  “What? Of course not! I just--put them in your hearing aids?”

Clint glared.

Tony had the grace to look sheepish before turning to the screen and calling out to FRIDAY, “Hey Fri, put up all the footage of Clint’s mission with Daredevil tonight.  Cut out all the boring stuff first, though. We just want the cool stuff, like the fights and the talk at the end.”

“Sorting through footage received from ‘Clint’s Prosthetic Earballs’ regarding Daredevil,” came FRIDAY’s cool response.  Clint sighed at the nickname for his hearing aids, but did not bother commenting. After a brief pause, video clips began popping up on the screen.  

“What if we didn’t try to find out Daredevil’s identity?  There’s probably a reason he keeps it secret in the first place, you know,” Clint tried futilely.

“Nice try, Merida,” Tony smirked at the archer.  He looked around at the rest of the group and clapped his hands together.  “Okay, who wants to try to tail the big Double D next? Nat?”

Natasha simply looked at the billionaire, an amused expression on her face.  “I’m interested in seeing where this is going but I’m with Clint on this one,” she said simply.

An accented voice piped up from the doorway.  “I can try to follow him.”

The team looked at Wanda in surprise for a moment before Tony grinned.  “Perfect! You can use your powers to find out his name!”

Wanda frowned at this.  “I’m not sure I want to find out his name, but perhaps I will look into his mind to make sure his actions are well-meaning.  I do not trust someone operating under the name of the Devil going around without anyone holding him responsible for his actions.”

The group nodded thoughtfully in agreement to her words.  “Okay, so tomorrow night you’ll head out to see what you can unveil about our mysterious devilish fiend!  I’ll grab some cameras and a comm so we can follow you from here. It’s what we should have done with Clint, anyways,” Tony said, already halfway to the door to his lab.  

“If he is well-intentioned, should we consider adding him to the team?” Sam asked.  “He’s obviously highly trained and skilled, and is experienced in combat. We’d do well to convince him to join us.  At least we could see if he wants to be an auxiliary Avenger, only coming out when we need to bring out the big guns.”

Steve looks thoughtful at this.  “We’d have to meet him first, make sure he would work with the team and is an okay person to deal with, but sure.  I don’t see why not.”

 

\---

 

“Hey, Mr. Daredevil!”  An young voice reached Matt’s ears, but he had been well aware of the speaker since he had heard the _thwip-thwip-thwip_ of Spider-Man’s webs minutes before.  “How’s Hell’s Kitchen doing? Is everything okay?  Why’d you call me?” The torrent of questions spilled out of the teen before he had even landed on the roof Matt had arranged to meet him on.

“Everything is fine, kid.  That’s not why I called you.  I called you to ask a favor.” Matt hated asking so much of such a young kid, but he was running out of options.  “Can you patrol Hell’s Kitchen for a few days? I won’t be here and I don’t want to abandon it.” If any of his more experienced vigilante type friends had been free, he would have asked them instead, but unfortunately, they were all otherwise occupied.

Matt could sense the surprise coming from the teen.  “Really? Uh--sure! When will you leave and come back?”

“I leave Friday and come back early on Monday.  So, if you don’t mind, you’d patrol Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Don’t worry about Monday.” He would be going on a weekend trip with Foggy and Karen to Foggy’s family friend’s beach vacation house to celebrate the win of one of their biggest cases yet.

“Okay.  I can do that.  Anything else I need to know?”  The effort this kid put into sounding professional was tangible.  

Matt smirked before replying.  He gave the kid a rundown on the major trouble spots in the area and the gangs he might have to look out for.  Right before he left, he reminded Spider-Man of one other thing, “If you hear or see anything about a group called the Bloody Blade, call me immediately.  I don’t care how late or early it might be. Don’t try to go after them, don’t wait until morning, call me.”

The kid gulped nervously before nodding and saying, “Okay.”


	4. chapter four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter comes over to the Tower to hang out and the Avengers are kinda really freaked out by Daredevil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay y'all I'm not super happy with how I wrote Tony. It seems a bit out of character for him but writing Tony is kinda hard. I tried.
> 
> Also for some reason I imagine Peter always snacking on random stuff that's not super unhealthy but definitely not the best for him so that's what I had him do. I tried to write him but I'm not sure how well I did oops. 
> 
> Also I kinda gave up on trying to make the tenses consistent sorry :( It's a combination of present/past tense and I'm too lazy to consistently write with only one or the other oops :/
> 
> Have a wondersome (wonderful + awesome) day/evening!! :D

“Hey, Mr. Stark!”  Peter’s voice echoes around the Tower’s kitchen as he swings his backpack off his back and onto the counter before turning to the fridge to find a snack.  He is comfortable in their routine by now: Happy picks Peter up from school and takes him to the Tower, snacks and science happen, then homework and sometimes dinner before Happy takes him home, back to Aunt May, where he finishes his homework then goes out Spider-Manning.  

On Fridays and sometimes Saturdays, Peter either stays the night or stays late for movie nights and team bonding.  It’s surreal sometimes, what his life has become. _Movie nights with the Avengers._

It’s easier now that May knows about his superpowered vigilante/superhero alter ego, because he doesn’t need to lie to her constantly about basically everything anymore.  He had never liked lying to her, and could feel the weight lifted off his chest when he didn’t need to anymore.

The fridge was stocked with all sorts of healthy and unhealthy foods and snacks, so Peter grabbed a jar of peanut butter, a bag of chocolate chips, and a spoon before heading to the lab where he expected Tony to be working on one project or another, having probably lost track of time.

Tony was exactly where Peter had anticipated he would be, but he wasn’t working on the type of project Peter had predicted.  His mentor was standing in the center of the workspace, video clips and police reports scattered in holograms around him. The subject of the research seemed to be...Daredevil?

“Hey, Mr. Stark,”  Peter repeated, dumping a generous handful of chocolate chips into the peanut butter and shoving a large spoonful of the combination into his mouth.  “What’s that you’re working on? That’s Daredevil, right?” His voice was muffled by the sticky food in his mouth, but Tony was experienced in the art of interpreting Peter’s usually indecipherable verbal messes.

“Yeah, Pete.  We--the Avengers, mainly--have been trying to figure out who he is and if he’s a good guy or not.  And please try not to talk with your mouth full of food; you know I don’t mind deciphering what you’re saying, but then again I am a genius.  Other people might have a bit of trouble figuring out what you’re saying. And I keep telling you, kid, call me Tony. Mr. Stark was my dad.” Tony’s explanation soon devolved into an almost parental lecture about manners.   _Figures._

“Yeah, yeah.  I know,” Peter said cheekily, mouth full with another bite of his snack.  “And yeah, Mr. Daredevil’s pretty cool. I could probably introduce you if you want and if he’s cool with it,” Peter couldn’t resist casually slipping in the fact that he knew Daredevil and was on chatting terms with the vigilante.

Tony looked over at Peter with a thoughtful look on his face.  “Maybe if Wanda doesn’t find anything useful when she goes out tonight, I’ll take you up on that offer.  But if you knew Daredevil, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Peter smiled sheepishly.  “I might have wanted to wait to tell you until after we finished that one project that we worked on for a while that took up a lot of time.  And then I kinda forgot to tell you, and it never came up, so I just didn’t tell you until right now?” The last sentence ended like it was a question, even though it was clearly a statement.  

Tony looked at Peter fondly and ruffled his hair.  “Alright then, kiddo. Let’s see what we can piece together about this apparently not-so-mysterious vigilante of the night.”

 

\---

 

Matt sighed.  Another one was following him.  Did they not get his message the first time?  He reached out with his senses to find out who had been sent to watch him this time.

_Female, practical, slightly flowing clothing, some sort of energy?  Windlike, flowing around, gathering mainly at hands. Scarlet Witch._

“What does Stark have on you, Maximoff?” he called out without turning.

“What makes you think he has anything on me?” she shot back, accented words dancing over her tongue.  Without another word, she sent some of her energy towards Matt’s head, and he immediately brought up the mental barriers Stick had drilled into him.  

Continuing the conversation as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, he replied, “He blackmailed Barton into following me by threatening to tell Romanov that he ate the rest of her ponchik.”  He had smelled the sweet pastry and powdered sugar on Barton when they had met, inferring that the dessert he had referred to was indeed ponchik.

From the devices Matt had heard Maximoff concealing in her costume, Matt heard gasps and a surprised “I never told him what dessert I ate.  Damn, he’s good--Nat, please don’t kill me--” before scuffling sounds and raised voices broke out in the telltale sounds of a fight.

Matt smirked.  “Seems like some of your teammates are having a little squabble.  Should you maybe deal with it before it gets out of hand?” he directed to Maximoff.  To Stark, who he knew would be listening in on the comms, he said, “Stark, kindly refrain from sending your teammates to do what you won’t.  If you want to meet me, just ask and stop having people stalk me. It’s getting annoying.”

He heard Stark tell Maximoff, “Put me on speaker, Wanda.”  Then, in response to Matt’s statement, the tinny voice came, “Where do you want to meet?  And how do you know so much about my teammates and I?”

Smirking, Matt replied, “Warehouse on 46th and 11th.  Two hours from now. Come alone or you won’t see me.” He knew he was in control of the conversation, and used his power to his advantage.  The building he was referring to was abandoned, and Matt had spent quite some time mapping out the floor plan so he could disappear into the shadows even more easily than other parts of Hell’s Kitchen.

“This is a terrible idea.  It’s a date,” Stark said without hesitation, ignoring the cautionary warnings from his teammates.

Matt turned his attention to Wanda, who was still futilely attempting to use her powers on him.  “I thought by now you’d have learned that won’t work on me, Maximoff. It must be draining to try to read what cannot be read.”  He could easily hear her breaths coming in pants as she exerted her energy. “Plus, it is a major violation of my privacy. I would recommend you stop now before I get angry.”  He added a bit of steel to his tone to emphasize his point.

Wanda did the right thing and backed off.  

Still keeping up his mental wall, Matt said, “Two hours, Stark,” and melted into the shadows.  He paused nearby to listen to Wanda and her team converse as she made her way out of the city, but the Avengers seemed content to wait until she returned to the Tower to discuss the evening’s events.

 

\---

 

A few minutes before the arranged meeting time, Tony touched down in front of the dilapidated building.  It had definitely seen better days, but the structural integrity seemed to be stable. Unless some unforeseen event occured to compromise the structure, the building would be safe.  

Tony wondered if Daredevil would know that Natasha and Steve had already arrived  and were a safe distance away, watching and listening to everything. Probably not, he concluded.  They knew what they were doing.

He entered the warehouse boldly, busting down the doors in an attempt to startle anyone inside.  It didn’t work, as there was no leather-clad horned vigilante waiting for him. At least, it didn’t seem like there was.  With this guy, it was hard to tell where he was. _That’s probably intentional_ , Tony realized.

A gruff voice came from above, the speaker cloaked in darkness.  “I said to come alone.”

Tony jumped in surprise, immediately shining a strong flashlight from his suit to where he thought Daredevil was.  All he saw was an empty beam, where he presumed the man had been perched moments before. _Is he just a man?  What if he’s more? What if he’s not human?_

A deep chuckle seemed to emanate from the entire building, the source of the sound indistinguishable.  “Or is the great Tony Stark too afraid of a lowly vigilante like myself to show up without backup?”

“I just want to see if I can trust you.”  Tony decided that honesty and reason would be the best strategy against this seemingly all-knowing being.  He was becoming more and more convinced that this dude wasn’t completely human.

“And why would you need to trust me?”  Suspicion was heavy in the Devil’s voice, coming from yet another direction.

Tony spun to face his general direction.  “If you’re trustworthy, we were considering extending an invitation for an alliance of sorts.  If something big happens and we need help, we could ask you to join us in battle. It wouldn’t be for smaller stuff that we could take care of, just stuff like alien invasions and planet-threatening issues.”  

Unsurprisingly, the vigilante had moved again before speaking.  “What would I get from this alliance?” He seemed to be considering accepting the offer, but it was hard for Tony to read what was just a voice in the dark.

“What do you want?  We can provide backup if you need help, medical attention if you get beat up too bad, other stuff I can’t think of right now because I’m low key kinda scared of you--” _Bad mouth.  Stop running off with the words that are supposed to be kept in that box in my head._  Tony cut himself off.  He cleared his throat and ignored the quiet snicker coming from somewhere to his left.

“Perhaps we can come to some sort of a truce.”  The vigilante seemed to appear, silhouetted by a stream of moonlight flowing in from the window.  His face was still obscured by shadows, but his horns were clearly visible. “If there’s a threat in Hell’s Kitchen, tell me and I’ll deal with it on my own or join you.  Hell’s Kitchen is mine,” he says, outlining exactly what he wants from Stark and the Avengers. “And for God’s sake, give the kid’s suit a heater or something,” he continues, to Tony’s shock.

“Are you talking about P--Spider-Man?  Does he get cold? I thought the material of the suit was warm enough…” he trailed off, thinking.  

“His body can’t thermoregulate like normal humans; one of the downsides of the spider bite,” comes the concise response.  The casual reference to the spider bite causes Tony to wonder something.

“How much do you know about Spider-Man?”

A chuckle, then, “You want to know if I know his identity.”

Tony nods.

“I do not currently know his name, but if I were to come across him when he was dressed as a civilian, I would recognize him immediately.”  That didn’t comfort Tony much. Daredevil continued, “But I understand the importance of a secret identity. I won’t go out of my way to unmask the kid and if I do learn his identity, I won’t tell anyone else.”

Something in the Devil’s voice reassures Tony a little.  He relaxes a little. Remembering how they got onto the subject of Spider-Man in the first place, he says, “Okay, so you’re involved with missions in Hell’s Kitchen, Spidey gets a warm sweater and some hot chocolate with marshmallows, and we get a sometimes-vigilante-sometimes-superhero sex shop mannequin on our team if someone tries to hit our planet with a giant alien sledgehammer?”

“I disagree with so much of your wording, but yes, that’s what I’m saying.  And don’t call me a sex shop mannequin. It’s body armor.” He sounded tired, like he’d had this argument before.

“Alright then, Horns.  You want to meet the rest of the team or do you prefer meeting everyone on the job?  Movie nights are every Friday if you want to join us,” Tony suggested.

“Not much of a movie person.”  Daredevil’s voice is less threatening now, but still gruff.  Tony wondered if his voice was always like that or if he changed it when he was wearing the mask.

“Your loss.  Or maybe your gain.  Depends on what movie we’re watching and how well behaved everyone is being, to be honest.”

Daredevil tilts his head.   _Is he...listening to something?  I can’t hear anything. Maybe that’s his power.  Can’t be the only one though._  “I’m needed elsewhere.  Have Spider-Man give me a number to contact you.  And tell Rogers and Romanov they’re not subtle and that the roof Rogers is currently sitting on is going to cave in in less than three minutes.  He should probably move before the beam breaks.”

Tony gaped before relaying the message to Steve and Nat.


	5. chapter five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something happens to Peter and the Avengers can't find him.
> 
> (to tune of "Ghostbusters" song) Who ya gonna call? Daredevil!

Karen, Foggy, and Matt were currently crammed into a rented car on a mostly deserted road.  The music was a little too loud and the air conditioning was broken, but they were all laughing and enjoying each other’s company regardless.  

Foggy was driving, as Karen wasn’t comfortable at the steering wheel after what happened with her brother, and Matt was blind.   _No, Foggy, my enhanced senses don’t make me magically able to read road signs and interpret all the visual cues of the vehicular world_ \--they’d had this discussion before.

They arrived at the vacation house without incident, and began lugging their bags in.  For such a short time, they had managed to pack a startlingly large amount. To be fair, they had needed to also bring groceries and other basic needs, as the summer home wasn’t used very often and therefore not particularly well stocked with the essentials.

There were only two bedrooms, so the three decided to make the very mature decision to take the mattresses from the two queen beds and put them on the floor next to each other in the living room, where there was the most space.  Foggy, Matt, and Karen had to remind each other and themselves that _they were mature adults_ and that _they were not at all excited by the prospect of sleeping on the floor next to their best friends like the sleepovers Matt and Karen had never had as children_ before deciding _screw it_ and jumping on the mattresses like the giant children they were.  Shoes off, of course. They weren’t _heathens_.

After a brief period of adjustment to the new environment, the friends got to work setting up their temporary place of residence.  Matt left his clothes in his bag and began preparing dinner while Foggy and Karen unpacked and set up other various things around the house.

As Matt stood in the kitchen, chopping carrots for a saute and listening to his friends bicker over the most logical placement of blankets on the makeshift bed(s?), he couldn’t help smiling fondly at them.  Here he was, with his two best friends in a place literally made for relaxation and getaways, for an entire weekend. Of course, that was barring anything bad happening in the city, but he wasn’t expecting any trouble.

For now, he could relax a bit.  He trusted Spider-Man to contact him if anything arose.  Matt turned his attention back to the carrots.

 

\---

 

Peter was freaking the _fuck_ out.

He’d been patrolling Hell’s Kitchen like Daredevil had asked him to when he heard a gunshot.  Thinking it was someone being mugged or something similar, he’d swung over quickly to handle the situation.  That’s when it had all went south.

As soon as he reached the scene, some sort of weird pattern of colors and stripes swirled around on the alley wall--projected onto the surface, he assumed--and Peter felt himself inexplicably entranced by the pattern.

At the same time, his spidey sense flared briefly but then went completely silent.  That scared him even more, because his spidey sense was literally _never_ completely dormant.  It was always buzzing softly in the background, and he’d gotten pretty good at tuning it out.  But silent? Something was wrong.

Staring at the shifting shapes, Peter didn’t notice the figures coming from behind the dumpsters further down the alleyway until too late.  He struggled to turn away from the colors, but as soon as he did, he began to feel the familiar tingle of the spidey sense once again. It was weak, but it was definitely there.

He considered throwing a punch at his closest adversary before realizing that whatever had muted his spidey sense had also affected his strength, and that he was effectively helpless against any attackers.   _Shit._  Instead, he made the tactical decision to back up down the alley to evade the people coming closer.

Thinking quickly, Peter pressed the button on his suit that activated his suit’s tracker and sent a panic alert to Mr. Stark.  It was the new suit that Mr. Stark had made with him in only a few days that had a built-in heater as well as a few other prototype features they were eager to test out.

 _Stop getting distracted; Big danger threat here_ , Peter reprimanded himself.  Honestly, he was surprised he wasn’t freaking out more, but maybe that was the shock kicking in.  He was helpless without his powers: he didn’t know how to fight without his strength, he couldn’t do _anything_ until help came.  He decided to do the one thing he could always do: talk.

“Hey, guys,” he started, awkward and nervous.  “How about we just talk this out, huh? Why are you doing this?  Also, how are you doing this?”

His words didn’t seem to have any effect on the shapes creeping up on him.  Before he knew what was going on, someone had managed to sneak up behind him-- _is my hearing affected too?_ \--and slam a pair of goggles over his eyes.  The only thing was, these goggles weren’t like normal goggles.  Where the lenses would have been were replaced by screens with the same swirling blobs of color.

This time, however, the shapes seemed to be showing words of some sort.  Peter concentrated harder, attempting to discern the message, eventually figuring out one word: _sleep_.

Peter collapsed instantly.

 

\---

 

Tony was tinkering in his lab when a Red and Blue Alert blared on all the screens around him.  He knew what the Red and Blue Alert was, and immediately began to panic. Peter had never pushed his Red and Blue Alert button before.  Something must have gone very wrong.

“FRI, find Pete’s location ASAP.  Call all the Avengers up here Now with a capital N.  I want them here five minutes ago.” Tony sprang into action after overcoming his moment of shock.  “Tell them I’m going after Pete and if I don’t succeed then they have to try next.” He was already tapping his watch to form the Iron Man suit around himself.

The elevator dinging informed Tony of his team’s presence.  They ran over to him, each showing different levels of distress.  Steve was obviously worried, while someone who didn’t know Natasha might have believed she was completely indifferent.  Her team could tell she was extremely concerned for her fellow spiderling.

“What’s going on, Tony?  FRIDAY told us something happened to Peter and you’re going after him.  What’s our plan?” Clint instantly sprang into action, looking at the various pieces of information FRIDAY and (AI) Karen had deemed relevant.

“His brain waves are way too slow to be normal,” Bruce observed, looking at one of the graphs.  “What could possibly have happened?”

“And why is he all the way in Hell’s Kitchen?” Wanda added.

“Look, I don’t know what is going on or what happened.  I just know that I’m going after him and hoping for the best.  I’m going now and the flying ones on the team can come too, and the rest of you can coordinate to get over in the quinjet.”  Tony was tired and freaking out and just wanted to make sure Peter was okay.

They left the Tower, and shortly afterwards arrived where the suit had last been located.  The alleyway that they landed at was deserted except for Peter’s suit tracker. It had been removed with the utmost precision; the remover had obviously known what they were doing.  

Tony checked with FRIDAY again to find out how to track the remainders of Peter’s suit.  Her response was devastating.

“Sir, it seems as though all the traceable components of Mr. Parker’s suit have been destroyed, blocked, or otherwise hindered.  All the traffic and security cameras in Hell’s Kitchen have been temporarily disabled. There is no way to trace Mr. Parker through his suit or local cameras.”  

“But there has to be a way,” Tony denied weakly.  “Keep looking,” he directed everyone, including FRIDAY.  

“What if we track him rather than his suit?”  Wanda’s suggestion cut through the tense silence after a few minutes of scouring the surrounding area for clues.  

“How?” came the reply.  The only response was thoughtful silence.

Another few minutes pass before-- “Daredevil!  He always somehow knew when someone was following him or in the area needing help!  Maybe he has some sort of supervision that allows him to see everything in the area?  We can ask him if he will help,” Clint exclaimed triumphantly.

The others agreed, and Tony dialed the number Peter had given him to contact the vigilante in an emergency.  He picked up almost immediately.

“What happened?”  The man’s voice was terse and concerned, and not nearly as gruff as it had been when they had met in person.  

“Pe--Spider-Man has been taken.  He sent me a panic signal a few minutes ago and we tracked his suit to here, but the tracker was taken out of his suit.  We can’t find him.”

“And you want me to find him,” Daredevil finished for him.  “I’m out of the area right now. The drive back is at least two hours.”

Tony began to panic again.   _Two hours?  That’s too long--how do we get him here sooner?_  “If you share your location I can send a jet to come pick you up.  It’ll be faster,” he offered.

The man on the other end hesitated, probably considering the risk of his identity being revealed.  Then he rattled off the coordinates of an open field by the coast. “I’ll meet you there in twenty minutes.”

Tony sighed and agreed before hanging up the call.

_Twenty minutes.  We can work with that._

 

\---

 

Karen and Foggy were not happy, but they understood.  After Matt explained what had happened, they agreed that he should definitely go help find Spider-Man.  Foggy drove Matt to the field where he had arranged to be picked up from, which was a five minute drive from the house.  

By the time the jet arrived, Foggy had driven away, leaving Matt to wait in the shelter of the trees nearby.  He didn’t feel comfortable out in the open and not hiding.

The jet touched down quietly (by a jet’s standard, meaning still really loud but not as loud as normal planes) and Matt made his way to the now open door in the back of the vehicle.  Stark and Romanov were waiting for him there, and they exchanged nods in acknowledgement before Matt entered and the craft lifted up again into the air.

Matt took a moment to observe the occupants of the jet.  Stark was obviously freaking out, but was working to control himself.  His breaths were even and deep, his heart rate slightly elevated. Matt could smell the scent of fear lingering on him, draped over the man like a veil.  

Romanov was much more in control than her teammate.  Her heart was beating slowly and her breaths were even, but Stark wasn’t the only source of the odor so prevalent in the room.  She was scared too.

“What do you know?” Matt asked without preamble.  The two Avengers didn’t pretend not to know what he was referring to.

“Spider-Man was confronted by an unknown enemy and sent us a panic signal at 11:23 this evening.  By the time we got to his last known location, an alley in Hell’s Kitchen, at 11:29, he was gone, and the only thing left at the scene was the tracer installed in his suit.  It was removed with great care. The person who did it obviously knew exactly what to do.

"There is no way to track Spider-Man with his suit or with security cameras.  All the cameras in Hell’s Kitchen were blocked from 11:20 to 11:30. We know you can sense people and things from far away so we’re asking you to find him.”  Romanov’s voice was as steady as her heartbeat.

“What I’d like to know is why Pe--Spider-Man was in Hell’s Kitchen at all.  That’s your territory,” Stark butted in.

Matt huffed guiltily.  “I asked him to cover Hell’s Kitchen for me.  I knew I was going to be away this weekend and didn’t want to leave my home defenseless.  And yes, I will find him. He’s a sweet kid.”

“He and I are definitely going to have a chat about communication when we find him,” Stark muttered to Romanov.  Matt knew he wasn’t supposed to overhear the words, but in a space as small as this one, it was impossible not to.

“Where exactly was he taken from?”  Matt questioned, already compiling a list of probable locations in Hell’s Kitchen.

“In an alley by 49th and 10th.  Behind some bar.”

Matt nodded before asking another question: “How long would it have taken to remove the tracker?”  He needed to know how long the people had given themselves to get to their base before turning the cameras back on.  Then he could give himself a rough estimate of an area to search through for their missing vigilante/hero friend.

“I’d say about one to two minutes.”  Stark’s response jolted Matt out of his train of thought.

Matt didn’t respond beyond another nod; he was too busy mentally charting possible hideouts within six minutes transport from the alley they were talking about.


	6. chapter six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers team up with Daredevil to save their precious little Spider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't proofread this like at all so if you see an error, that's why. Feel free to point out any mistakes you see in the comments!
> 
> Have a lovely day, y'all :D

A few minutes after the pickup saw Daredevil meeting the rest of the Avengers for the first time (officially, anyways).  The team had waited impatiently in the alley for Tony, Natasha, and Daredevil to return, and now the man holding all their hope had arrived.

The masked vigilante barely acknowledged the Avengers before crouching in the exact spot Peter’s tracker had been found.  Suddenly, he moved, climbing a fire escape that most of the team hadn’t even noticed or paid any attention to. Easily scaling the structure, he seemed to not be looking where he was going at all--not that any of the Avengers paid any attention.  They were too worried about Peter to notice the quirks of their ally.

The team followed the quick and elusive figure as he traversed the rooftops before halting on one corner.  Daredevil stood completely still, cocking his head to one side. It was a weird habit, but the Avengers collectively decided not to question it.  He seemed to get the information he needed, and spoke after a moment.

“Spider-Man is currently inside the office building across the street on the fourth floor--the top.  Something is wrong; he seems to be under the control of some sort of hypnosis or mind control. Either that or he’s meditating, which seems unlikely for a kid like him,” Daredevil rattled off, before adding as an afterthought, “Does he meditate?”

Tony shook his head.  “Not that I know of. And knowing that kid, I find it very hard to believe he could meditate.  Too much energy to sit still like that. What else can you tell us about the building and whoever else is in it?”  FRIDAY’s scanners were having trouble profiling the building, which was concerning. There seemed to be some sort of interference with his suit.

“Twenty-seven hostiles, all armed with uniform handguns”--Daredevil paused and took a sniff of the air through his nose--“seventeen of which are inexperienced in the field but well trained theoretically.  Three patrol each floor, with the remaining fifteen congregating on the fourth floor with Spider-Man, but only two are in the same room as him.

“The hostiles are taking regular patrols around their designated floors.  If they continue, we will be able to enter through the third floor window on the left in three minutes for maximum time before the hostiles are able to reach us.”  Daredevil paused to let his words sink in, giving Natasha the impression of someone used to delivering large amounts of information to people who would need a moment to process all of it.

Clint butted in.  “Okay, so we’re just going to put the entire ‘how the fuck do you know all that’ conversation on the to-do list--”

“Shit.”  Daredevil must have just noticed something, because he suddenly frowned and tilted his head even more.  “Some sort of electric bomb? I’m not sure; I don’t work with electronics much. Stark?” He turned his head towards Tony for help.

Tony jumped into the conversation.  “Describe it to me,” he commanded.

An intense look of concentration showed on the exposed half of Daredevil’s face.  “About the size of a toaster, square, three--no, four different wires connecting it to itself.  No alien tech, only human. I think it’s why your suit is barely functioning. It’s activated. I’m surprised Barton’s hearing aids haven’t malfunctioned yet.”

“It sounds like an EMP generator.  But it’s not at full power yet, so Clint’s aids are safe for a little while longer.  And how did you know my suit is having trouble?” The only response to Tony’s question was an enigmatic smirk and more silence.

“Okay, what’s our plan?”  Steve broke the silence to bring the team back to attention.  “I say Daredevil, Nat, and Wanda enter through the window Daredevil suggested in three minutes.  Tony will stay behind to act as technical advisor and backup if necessary because his suit is down for the count.  Sorry, Tony,” he added as an aside to his teammate and friend. “Clint, Sam, and I are going to make some noise and draw as many guards to the ground floor to clear the way for the others.

“We get in, grab Spider-Man, apprehend the kidnappers, and get out.  Interrogation can wait until we get back to the Tower. This is going to be fast and hard,” Steve finished.

“Good plan.  Maximoff can see what she can do to break the hypnosis if needed.  Just one other thing: no killing. That isn’t our choice to make, if someone lives or dies.”  Daredevil’s voice was firm and brooked no argument.

“I can’t promise anything, but we won’t intentionally kill anyone.  Is that good enough?” Natasha’s voice was equally unyielding, and Daredevil relented after a moment, nodding.

“One minute.  Get into positions,” he said softly, and the group dispersed, ignoring Tony’s protests of being forced into a time-out of sorts.

 

\---

 

“We wait until we hear Steve, Clint, and Sam enter the building.  I’d give them another ten seconds before entering,” Natasha said, checking her widow bites.  

“How well can you two work in the dark?”  Daredevil’s question came out of nowhere.

“Well enough.  Plan on taking out the lights?” came Natasha’s cool response. 

“Seems logical.  Gives us the element of surprise and most of them will be incapacitated due to their inexperience,” he replied.  “Maximoff, can you use your powers to take out the lights when we need you to?”

Wanda nodded in affirmation.  “No problem.”

Daredevil smiled, baring his teeth in almost animalistic excitement.  Natasha didn’t wonder why he was called the Devil.

Shouts and crashes--the sounds of fighting--floated up from the first floor.  Seven seconds later, Daredevil moved to enter. Predicting Natasha’s warning, he explained concisely: “We go now and they’re still shocked.  Three seconds and they adjust.” Then he was off, the two Avengers following close behind. 

“Lights,” Natasha told Wanda.  The younger woman obliged, sending her power into the building and finding all the light bulbs to break.  They all cut out at once, casting the building into complete darkness immediately. Daredevil continued to move confidently as though there was no difference.

Wanda and Natasha weren’t affected much, either.  Natasha’s time spent as an assassin meant she was comfortable in the shadows, slipping silently around in darkness to take out her marks one by one.  Wanda’s power allowed her to sense where objects and walls were in relation to herself.

Natasha noticed that Daredevil had foregone his usual inaudible creeping for near-silent--but not quite--footfalls.  She assumed this was more for her and Wanda’s benefit, for otherwise they would not have been able to know where he was and where to go.  It was thoughtful of the vigilante to do so, she realized.

They reached the stairwell and made their way stealthily to the next floor.  Most of the guards had gone downstairs when Steve, Sam, and Clint barged in, but there were still hostiles guarding Peter.

Pausing at the top of the stairwell to listen for a moment, Daredevil said, “Seven guards, pacing the floor around Spider-Man.  Spider-Man seems to be moving--shit, definitely mind control. He can hear the distraction but can’t or won’t do anything about it.  I don’t think he knows where he is or what is going on. He’s just following one of the hostiles to a safe room. When we get out of here I am definitely going to teach him a few things.”  The last few sentences were muttered to himself, frustration growing. 

“I’ll take care of Pe--Spider-Man.  You two deal with the rest,” Wanda said.  

Natasha counted down, and the three entered the floor silently, Daredevil and Natasha splitting up to take out the guards and Wanda following her sense of where Peter was.  His mind was faint but definitely there. 

Natasha was grudgingly impressed by Daredevil’s skills.  He moved silently now, with no need to make sounds for his allies to follow him.  The only sounds were the muffled cries of pain and surprise from his victims. 

The entire floor was down in less than a minute.  Then they gathered in the room where Wanda was desperately trying to free Peter from whatever control he was under.  She wasn’t making much progress.

“Just take him as he is, and deal with the mind control later.  We need to get out of here,” Natasha warned.

“Let’s go arrest some douchebags for kidnapping a vigilante,” Daredevil said with a smirk in his voice.  “I hope you brought handcuffs.”

“Better than that, Devil May Care.”  Tony’s snarky voice was suddenly beside Natasha, and she turned towards him, even though they could still see nothing in the pitch darkness.

“Really? No screams of surprise?  Come on, I turned off my flashlight to try to scare you all, and that’s it?  This is what I get for trying to sneak up on a telepath, an ex-assassin who may or may not be omniscient, and a questionably powered vigilante in a kinky leather suit.  I’m still not sure you don’t have supervision or something, Double D.” His disappointment could be easily heard in his voice.

There was a moment where the only sound that could be heard was a quiet sigh from Daredevil.  “It’s not kinky, Stark. It’s protective armor.” He sounded resigned.

Tony turned on his flashlight again, which happened to be the one attached to his Iron Man gauntlet, because he was Tony Stark and Tony Stark did not carry around a normal flashlight.

The light was extremely bright, and it took a moment for Natasha and Wanda to become used to it.  Daredevil didn’t even flinch when Tony shone the light in his face. His only response was an expression that screamed  _ Seriously? _ and Natasha was willing to bet big money that one of his eyebrows was raised.

The lighthearted mood was brutally murdered as soon as the beam of light fell on the silent figure of Spider-Man.  He was wearing a suit that didn’t seem to be his own. It was completely black and the eye lenses had shrunk until the white parts were barely pinpricks in a sea of black.  A closer inspection proved that the suit was the one Tony had made for him, but with many altercations. 

When Tony tried to remove the mask from Peter’s head, it wouldn’t come off.  The mask had been sewn into the rest of the suit, and there seemed to be no way to take it off without hurting Peter.  This definitely did not cause Tony to panic. Nope. Not one bit.

While they were trying to decide what to do, Daredevil’s quiet voice said, “Take him back to the Tower.  There, you can use all your fancy toys to try to remove Spider-Man’s mask.” He paused, tilting his head to the side.  “There’s some other system in the suit’s computer. It’s done something to restrain the current one.”

Tony didn’t ask how Daredevil knew that.  He didn’t ask when the rest of the team had gotten to the top floor.  He just grabbed Peter and flew back to the tower as quickly as possible, leaving the rest of the team to clean up their mess.


	7. chapter seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get back to the Tower with (mind controlled/hypnotized) Peter in tow. Frustration and waiting ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all. Sorry about the wait, I've been dealing with some medical stuff recently and it just flared up again. There's not much I can do about it, but I'm waiting to hear from specialized doctor #3. Third time's the charm?
> 
> Anyways, have a lovely day. Enjoy! :)

As soon as they got back to the Tower after rounding up all the unconscious guards and dealing with them appropriately, everyone rushed to Stark’s lab to check his progress with Spider-Man’s mask.  The scene that greeted them when they got there was less than encouraging.

Spider-Man was sitting on a bench with Stark wielding some sort of metal tool against the material of his suit.  They didn’t seem to be making much headway. But that wasn’t what shocked Matt.

Spider-Man’s heartbeat was  _ so slow _ , yet there was so much adrenaline seeping off the teen, sweat gushing from every pore on his body.  Matt was sure he was the only one to notice such a fact, as there was no indicator noticeable to average senses, so he spoke up.

“The hypnotism is killing him,” he remarks urgently.  “His body is fighting but failing.”

The Avengers’ heartbeats rose frantically.  “What do you mean? How can you tell?” Stark asked hysterically.  

Matt turned his head towards the man, internally panicking himself, but not letting it show.  “His heartbeat is slower than an unconscious person’s would be, yet he’s producing a massive amount of adrenaline and sweat.  Everything is wrong with him. I’d give him a few hours at the very most if he continues in this state. Can you hack his suit to monitor his vitals and hopefully figure out what’s going on?”

_ This is really not good. _

“I can try to get inside his mind and break the hypnosis from the inside,” Maximoff suggested.  Without waiting for response, she turned to Spider-Man and summoned her energy. At the sound of the windlike magic, Matt instinctively brought up his mental walls again before tuning out the noise and focusing on Spider-Man again.  

As Maximoff entered Spider-Man’s mind and started shifting around the tangled mess of metaphorical spaghetti that was the hypnosis snarled within the kid’s thoughts, Matt heard the tiniest sigh escape the teen.  Whether it was of relief or something else, Matt couldn’t tell. 

There was nothing to do but wait and hope.  Matt could tell that, while she was making progress, Maximoff would need time to sort through and eventually break the control in the little Spider’s brain.  He was anything but happy about admitting it--even to himself--but Matt couldn’t do anything to help. He’d have to wait this one out.

“This will take time,” he said gruffly to the Avengers.  “There’s no point in all of us just standing here. Stark, keep working on getting into Spider-Man’s suit.  Banner, be on standby when Maximoff breaks the hold on Spider-Man; he’s going to need a doctor.”

Matt intentionally put a bit of his authoritative ‘lawyer voice’ into his instructions; he knew the Avengers wouldn’t be happy taking orders from an outsider, but it seemed none of them were willing or able to take the lead.

“Romanov, I’m assuming there are some more comfortable clothes that Spider-Man can wear once Stark gets that damned mask off.  Would you go find some?” He knew Romanov wouldn’t respond well to orders, so he took a different, slightly softer approach and hoped she wouldn’t murder him right there and then out of stress over Spider-Man.

Without allowing any of the Avengers to protest, he continued, “Now, the rest of you are going to go and wait quietly in the communal living room.  Maximoff can feel your stress and it is not helping,” he turned his head towards Maximoff, adding, “Isn’t that right?” 

She nodded distractedly.

Matt could feel the tension and resignation radiating from the Avengers.  They weren’t happy with his instructions, but at least they realized the logic in his plan.   _ Those who can help, will help, and those who can’t, get out of the way. _

“Fine,” Wilson grumbled.  “Come on, guys. Let’s go.”

Matt smiled apologetically, but didn’t say anything as the group filed reluctantly out of the room.  

It was only when Rogers, Barton, and Wilson reached the communal floor that Matt spoke again.  “I’m assuming your kitchen is well stocked?”

Confusion was practically radiating from the Avengers, but Barton replied, “Of course.  But why do you need to know? Are you going to go all ‘Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen’ on us or something?”  Barton laughed at his own joke. 

Matt smirked at the man before heading to where he could hear the rushing of water in a dishwasher and other various culinary machines working.  As he reached the kitchen, he took a deep inhale through his nose to locate the ingredients he would need before getting to work.

The Avengers simply stared as he moved smoothly around their kitchen, knowing exactly where to find everything despite never having been there before.  For Matt’s part, he ignored their gaping and went about preparing the hot chocolate that he had been making since Father Lantom had shown him how, those many years ago.

Only when he had to find the mugs--those were tricky, so similar to bowls and glasses; hard to differentiate with any accuracy--did he turn his attention to the unoccupied Avengers.  “Mugs?”

“What, can’t find them with your super freaky x-ray vision?”  Matt simply turned his head to metaphorically ‘glare’ at Barton, who then sighed dramatically and proceeded to walk past Matt to a cupboard to his left, pulling down several mugs of varying sizes and (Matt would presume) patterns.  

Nodding his thanks to the archer, Matt poured some hot chocolate into the mugs, then sprinkled a generous amount of cinnamon on top of each.  He stepped back gesturing to the mugs as he spoke, “Each take a few, we have some deliveries to make.”

His companions must have still been in shock from the evening’s events, because they did as they were told, carrying the mugs of steaming liquid to the elevator behind Matt.

 

\---

 

The rest of the evening was spent in a sort of a daze for the Avengers.  Wanda had to take a break after the clock hit hour three, but only took enough time for a few sips of hot chocolate and a twenty-minute nap before entering Peter’s mind again.

Natasha was, outwardly, the calmest.  On the inside, however, she was panicking.  She knew the powers and dangers of mind control firsthand, and even though she knew logically that she couldn’t do anything to help, she berated herself constantly for not doing more.

Somehow, Daredevil must have picked up on her internal struggle, as he seemed to pay more attention to her; refilling her hot chocolate more often, glancing her way every now and then, and including her in the slightly stilted conversation the rest of them were having, among other things.  

Natasha frowned slightly.  She didn’t like how easily Daredevil could read people--herself included.  There was definitely something  _ off _ about him, in more ways than one.  She recalled her mental list of everything she knew and noticed about Daredevil.

_ Knows where things and people are without looking or seeming to look, doesn’t let on how much he actually knows (uses knowledge to scare/distract people if necessary), well-trained, high discipline mentor/trainer, moves and speaks slightly artificially (changes gait and voice while in suit to further disguise identity?). _

She added  _ reads people and their emotions very well _ to her list.  It didn’t add up.  How did he do all these things?  It was obvious he was at least slightly enhanced, but she couldn’t figure out exactly how.  The entire situation was infuriating.


	8. chapter eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something happens as Tony and Wanda are almost through to Peter. The rest of the Avengers (plus Daredevil) go in blindly to rescue them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok y'all this might come off as slightly anti-Steve but all I'm showing here is that he can be a bit stubborn sometimes I swear I love Steve please don't hate me lol
> 
> Also I've been trying to think of a better title for this work because honestly the one right now is super boring. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know in the comments :D
> 
> btw this was written over several days because I can't find time to write goddamnit so if it seems a bit disjointed at bits thats probably where I stopped and started the next day sorry
> 
> have a lovely day, y'all!! :P

Matt knew that the Avengers’ compliance would last only until their shock wore off, and expected a confrontation any minute.  However, he didn’t regret anything he said or did--he had done what needed to be done.  _ Damn it, I’m getting attached to the little Spider, _ he thought, before shrugging internally and returning his attention to the present.

Stark, Banner, and Maximoff were all in the lab with Spider-Man, leaving Matt and the rest of the Avengers to wait tensely for any news in the common room situated on that floor.  They were reaching hour five and JARVIS had just relayed a message from Stark claiming that they were almost done. 

Suddenly, a sudden drop of several heartbeats drew Matt’s attention.  He stood up from the faux-bored slouch he had been in, bolting for the door.  The Avengers in the room rose and followed moments behind. 

\---

 

Wanda was probing the depths of Peter’s consciousness when she saw it.  There were swirling masses of artificial color and origin worming their way through Peter’s mind without regard for the delicate nature of his thoughts and processes.   _ No wonder his body is all out of sorts--these things are interfering with his functions, _ Wanda realized.  

Tracing the paths of the masses, she discovered that they had entered through his visual processing center, but had spread to the rest of his consciousness.  Even as she attempted to remove or destroy one of the foreign  _ things _ , a hand on her arm jolted her back to the lab.

Tony looked at her in concern for a moment, and Wanda realized she was panting and shaking, the exertion of using her power so intently for so long having taken quite the toll.  

“Alright, time for another nap and some food, Wanda.  No arguments, you can’t help Pete if you can’t stand up on your own.”  Tony’s voice was gentle but firm. Wanda nodded dumbly in exhaustion for a moment, before remembering to tell Tony what she had discovered.

“It’s visual hypnosis taken to the next level.  There are some  _ things _ in his mind that originated in his visual processing center,” she said, before promptly sagging into Bruce’s waiting arms, fast asleep.

 

\---

 

Tony attacked Peter’s suit with renewed vigor.  Whoever had reprogrammed it had done a fantastic job, setting up firewalls and preventative measures like there was no tomorrow.  But then again, he was Tony Stark, and he’d hacked into the CIA Highly Classified files system on a dare. He’d be damned if he couldn’t save Peter from his own suit.

A few more minutes of thinking and typing later, the display showed the words ‘Access Granted’.  Immediately, Tony maximized the visual to see what Peter was seeing. Squirming blobs moved throughout the holograms projected around the room, mesmerizing Tony.

_ Wake them up, _ they seemed to be saying.   _ Wake the girl and the man _ .  Without realizing what he was doing, Tony turned to Wanda and shook her mechanically, his movements in time with that of the projections.

 

\---

 

Daredevil came to a halt at the closed door of the lab.  He looked confused, tilting his head as a look of concentration washed over his features.  

Natasha wanted to ask him,  _ What’s wrong? _ but restrained herself, instead asking, “What happened?”  

“Sudden drop in Banner, Stark, and Maximoff’s heart rates almost at the same time.  No idea the cause, there’s nothing else in the room that could be a threat that I can sense.  JARVIS?” Daredevil’s terse response was worried. 

The artificial voice came, saying, “I am unable to manipulate the holograms in the lab.  It seems as though someone or something has taken over all the visual aspects of my communications systems.  I can still tell that Mr. Stark, Ms. Maximoff, Dr. Banner, and Spider-Man are reacting similarly to whatever is being visually presented, but I cannot tell what is being shown.  I would suggest that you avert or close your eyes when you enter to avoid being similarly affected.”

Daredevil seemed to be finding something JARVIS said funny, as he smirked slightly before returning to the stolid persona he had presented them originally.  “JARVIS, can you see what you can do to counter the attack to your systems?” After JARVIS responded with an affirmative, he continued, “Okay, so I’m going to go in with Romanov, take Stark, Maximoff, Banner, and Spider-Man, and get out.”  

Steve protested.  “But we want to help to, Daredevil.  Those are our teammates in danger, and I’m not sitting around while you, who we barely know, go in and get them for us.”

Daredevil’s face turned icy.  “Tell me this, Captain. Can you move around without seeing what you’re doing?  Can you help others who are most likely hypnotised while avoiding being entranced yourself?”

Steve refused to back down.  “I can do my best to save my teammates.  I still don’t fully trust you, as you’re another unknown variable in this already unsure situation.  You can’t go in there, Daredevil. It’s too risky.

“I will go in first.  JARVIS will provide updates on my status for you.  If I am neutralized, Nat is in charge and will proceed as she thinks best.  Clear?”

The pure stubbornness in Steve’s tone and face must have convinced Daredevil not to continue his futile attempts at changing Steve’s mind, as he backed down, mouth tightening in a frown.

“Fine.”  His voice reveals nothing except a hint of the frustration he feels.   _ He knows Natasha will have a smarter plan than simply ‘going in’ and hoping for the best. _

Steve nodded firmly once before turning to face the closed door.  A deep breath and a request for JARVIS to open the door later, he entered.  

Daredevil seemed to be entertained, probably watching the scene play out somehow through the wall, smirking.  “And...he’s gone. Romanov, your plan?” He seemed unbothered by Steve’s quick failure. In fact, he almost seemed smug, which Natasha would not put past the vigilante.

“Tell me everything you can tell about what’s going on in that room,” Natasha ordered.   _ This will give me an idea as to what his powers are, _ she realized, before turning her attention once again to the matter at hand.

Daredevil hesitated for a fraction of a moment before saying, “Stark, Maximoff, Banner, and now Rogers are all in the same state that Spider-Man was and is in.  

“At first, Rogers covered his eyes while entering the room, but then he tripped and presumably opened his eyes, which immediately cast him into the trance, so it is safe to assume that the hypnotist is using highly efficient visual aid in order to take the Avengers.  

“The hypnotist isn’t physically in the room, so they must be using the technology, presumably holograms, that are active right now.  As for the Avengers currently under the influence of the trance, it seems they are moving around the room and interacting with the holograms nonverbally and--now they just moved away; I think they were just receiving their directions and are now making something with the materials and tools in the lab?  No idea what it is.” 

Daredevil’s impressive spiel was delivered at a fast clip, with the vigilante barely pausing for breath or to think about what he was saying.

Natasha barely blinked before returning, “What were you planning on doing before Steve got all territorial?”

“Do you know how to hack the visual projectors in the lab?” he queried, looking thoughtful.

“Yes, but to do so I would need to be able to see the screen.”

“Not if you turn on voiceover.”

_ He knows someone who’s blind.  They’re very close. Either that, or he’s blind.  I find that statistically less likely, but still a possibility. _

“Good idea,” Clint butted in.  Sam nodded in agreement. 

“Alright, boys.  Here’s the plan. Sam, Daredevil and I will enter with blindfolds both for ourselves and the others when we reach them.  Daredevil and Sam will attempt to blindfold the entranced team members while I hack into the lab’s projectors using voiceover.”  

Natasha outlined the scheme, before turning to Clint.  “Sorry, Clint. If I have to fry the projectors with an EMP then your aids are toast and you’ll be blind and deaf.  You’ll have to sit this one out, buddy.”

Clint nodded, but his eyebrows creased into the familiar shape of his frustration.  She patted his arm sympathetically.

“Now all we need are blindfolds.”


	9. chapter nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha, Matt, Clint, and Sam mount a rescue for their entranced friends in Tony's lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> So um I know it's been forever and a half since I updated. I'm really sorry about that :( Things have been hectic. I've had a metric fuck ton of homework, plus my medical situation was really bad (I won't get into details, but I'm feeling better now :D ). And let's not even mention the massive writer's block I've had lol
> 
> I wrote this pretty quickly because I wanted to write something, so enjoy!

“On my count,” Romanov said, adjusting her blindfold.  She, Wilson, and Matt were outside the door to the lab, each ready to do their part of the plan.  Matt found it slightly funny that he’d had to put on a blindfold to keep up appearances, but didn’t let any of it show.

“Three, two, one, now,” Romanov said, opening the door and moving the three paces forward and two left that JARVIS had instructed her to in order to reach the computer.  Wasting no time in turning it on and activating voiceover, she got to work.

As she did so,  Matt and Wilson each moved towards the rest of the Avengers, blindfolds in hand.  However, they seemed to take that as a threat, their heartrates rising unnaturally and uniformly.  The next moment, they attacked with superhuman speed and strength, even for the enhanced people.

The following moments were a blur of blows exchanged, and Matt could tell Wilson was hopelessly lost and confused without his vision. 

Romanov was busy at the computer, hacking as quickly as she could even with JARVIS’s assistance and verbal commands instead of simply typing what she wanted to enter.

Matt turned his attention back to the fight.  It was obvious that the hypnotized members were simply trying to tear off their blindfolds, and had almost succeeded with Wilson.  Matt muttered a brief apology to Stark before throwing a billy club at his thigh, hearing a  _ crunch _ as the man’s femur broke.  Stark was down, and wasn’t getting up anytime soon.  It wasn’t a moment too soon, for Stark had been extremely close to overpowering Wilson and tearing off the blindfold.  

“Blindfold Stark,” he grunted to Wilson as he dodged a punch from Rogers.

Matt wasn’t too surprised that Spidey and Rogers had been sicced on himself, leaving Stark to Wilson, and Banner and Maximoff to Romanov.  He was an unknown variable in this situation, and whoever was controlling his allies seemed to know the Avengers better than they did Daredevil.

A strong blow to his stomach from Spidey brought him back to the fight at hand, briefly knocking the air out of his lungs.  He recovered quickly, retaliating in a bewilderingly fast series of blows to the pressure points and nerve centers he knew would incapacitate the teen for a while.  It did indeed, and now two of the five entranced members were down for the count.

Trusting Romanov to be able to handle Banner and Maximoff on her own, Matt turned his attention to Rogers.  

The supersoldier wasn’t holding back, but Matt had been right all those months ago when he’d commented on Rogers’ pattern of fighting.  It seemed that the hypnotized people retained muscle memory and habits even while not in full control of themselves, which made sense.

Using his advanced knowledge of Rogers’ fighting pattern and habits, Matt flipped expertly, dodging every blow and landing hits where he knew the man was letting his guard down.  The captain was soon incapacitated.

Romanov had easily taken down Banner and Maximoff, and was back to hacking into the hologram systems.  Wilson moved around clumsily and secured blindfolds over all of the downed people’s eyes. 

Matt heaved a silent sigh of relief when JARVIS announced Romanov’s success.  They were free to remove the blindfolds from their faces, but as Matt reached up to remove the useless strip of fabric, he realized it had fallen off sometime during the fight.  He had no idea where it was, though, so he couldn’t hold it in his hand and pretend he had just taken it off.  _ Shit.  Now they’ll notice I didn’t need it.  Think, think, think, Murdock--huh. That could work, _ he thought, as an idea dawned on him.  

He clapped a hand to his face to pretend to have been covering his eyes with his palm.  “Can I look now?” he asked the others, who he could tell were taking off their blindfolds.  

“Yeah, go ahead.”  He lowered his hand and made a show of looking around the room, pausing slightly as his ‘gaze’ passed over the people around him.

“Let’s get these guys into medical,” Romanov ordered, and the others complied.

 

\---

 

Moving Peter, Bruce, Tony, and Wanda into medical was easy enough, but Steve proved to be a bit of a trouble.   _ Of course the massive super soldier had to be completely incapacitated, leaving those of us without super strength to clean up the mess, _ Clint thought to himself.   _ At least now we know that strength isn’t one of Daredevil’s powers. _

After a great deal of struggling and heaving, the conscious heroes had finally moved Steve to a medical bed for recovery.  They didn’t know how hard the hypnotism had hit their friends physically, but they were prepared for the worst.

 

\---

 

“Yeah, I’m fine.  Stop worrying, you two.  You’re almost as bad as when I came home with a few bruised ribs--fine, seven broken ribs and a sprained ankle.”  Daredevil paused, listening to the people on the other end of his phone as Natasha listened from around the corner.  “Calm down, guys. Oh--I’ve got to go.” He chuckled quietly. “There’s a little spider who should be keeping her nose out of other people’s business.”  An edge crept into his voice at the last words he spoke, obviously directing them at Natasha.

_ I’m out of his line of vision and haven’t moved or made any noise since he came into this hall, _ Natasha noted.   _ Either he can sense and read minds, can see through walls, or can hear the minute sounds of my body like breathing and heartbeat. _

Natasha left without another word.


End file.
